It all began when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, rose in the House of Commons to deliver an economic statement indicating that, the next day, the government would introduce a proposal that would be a matter of confidence, meaning that if the other parties voted it down, the current government would fall, triggering another election. This proposal was to include:

·        a cut of the per-vote subsidy each party receives to help fund its activities;

·        the introduction of legislation taking away public servants’ right to strike; and

·        the end of allowing women to file human rights complaints for pay-equity.

This announcement resulted in an uproar from the opposition parties, who saw these proposals as an attempt by a minority government to eliminate any challengers, to subvert basic rights, and to further partisan proposals as though it were a majority government. The opposition parties also noted that any economic announcement should have addressed a stimulation package for the wilting economy. As a result, the opposition parties announced that the Conservative government had lost the confidence of the House of Commons, that they would form a Liberal-NDP coalition, supported by the Bloc Québecois, and that all members and supporters of the coalition would vote against the economic statement when it went to a vote the following day. But on November 28^th, the government put off the vote to December 1st, and then put off again to December 8th.

In further efforts to deal with the emerging crisis, on November 29^th, the Conservatives announced that they would scrap their plan to end the subsidy for political parties. In addition, on November 30^th, the government, which had long expressed that it made no sense to propose large economic stimuli until it knew what the new American president would do, also announced that, instead of introducing the statement as planned, it would provide a budget at the advanced date of January 26^th, 2009. In order to do this, however, the Prime Minister would ask the Governor General to suspend (also known as “to prorogue”) parliament until that time. If she agreed, there would be no confidence vote until that day.

Despite these actions on the part of the government, on December 1^st, the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Québecois signed a formal coalition.  Under this coalition, Stéphane Dion would assume the position of Prime Minister, provide 6 cabinet posts to the NDP, and ensure 18 months of voting support from the Bloc Québecois.  

On December 4^th, the Prime Minister asked the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, to prorogue  Parliament until January 26^th, 2009. She agreed.

Since that time, Canadian citizens have been inundated with headlines claiming many things on both sides of the legal debate, including:

• that the coalition is illegal, and alternatively, that the coalition is legal;
• that the coalition is undemocratic, and alternatively, that the coalition is a shining example of democracy at work;
• that the Prime Minister had shut down Parliament and that this was undemocratic, or alternatively, quite in keeping with democratic principles;
• that the coalition does not have the right to take power without an election, or alternatively, that it does;
• that Stephen Harper is the Prime Minister elected by the people of Canada and that the actions of the coalition usurp the choice of Canadians;
• that the inclusion of the Bloc will have a detrimental effect on Canada and should not have been agreed to; and
• that the coalition will result in instability, and alternatively, that the coalition will result in stability.